Sunday, December 27, 2009

Mr. H In The Kitchen!

Hi All! Hope you all had a wonderful holiday and weekend. I know I sure did. On Christmas Eve, my in-laws came over for a Santa Fe enchilada dinner. We drove through the neighborhood to see the twinkling lights, then we came hope for cookies and gift opening. It was a nice night.

On Christmas Day, we slept in a little bit, then I got up and made breakfast for Mr. H. I made breakfast potatoes, eggs, bacon and toast with jam. I had plans to make Christmas morning muffins and a frittata, but I didn't have the energy or desire to spend that much time in the kitchen, so I went simple. Then we opened gifts around the tree- just the two of us. Later int he day we went to dinner at my aunts house along with the rest of the family. My contribution to the meal was a rum cake and a Jell-o mold. Yummy!

Back to the Santa Fe enchiladas. This is something that Mr. H and his Dad (my FIL) make every Christmas Eve. It's the only time of the year we have them and it's the only time of the year that my MIL and I don't have to lift a finger--not even to clean the dishes. It also helps that we always serve them on holiday paper plates. They do it all! Except this year- ha ha! We invited my in-laws over for dinner. They were supposed to get there at 6, but didn't arrive til 7. By the time they got here, the enchiladas were done. That's okay though because Mr. H and I whipped them up in no time. I love when he helps me in the kitchen. We have matching aprons with our names embroidered on them that was a gift from my MIL a few Christmases ago. He's only worn his about 3 times, this time included so it still looks brand new :-)

If your'e not familiar with Santa Fe enchiladas, they're beef and bean enchiladas that have been stacked instead of rolled. My FIL used to live in Santa Fe as a child and he and his family used to make these then, so we're carrying on the tradition. Mr. H stacked the enchiladas so I was able to take pictures. He has a heavy hand and piles on the ingredients. We usually all have 2 stackers while Mr. H eats a 3-stacker. After they're done baking and the cheese is melted, we put chopped green leaf lettuce and diced tomatoes around the outside to make a wreath. Perfect for the holidays.

Santa Fe Stacked Enchiladas from Monica H

serves 8

  • 2 lbs. lean ground beef
  • 1/2 onion, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
  • corn tortillas (2-3 per person)
  • vegetable oil for frying
  • 2 small cans (10 oz.) enchilada sauce
  • 3 small cans (15 oz.) Ranch Style Beans, drain 2 of the cans
  • 2-3 cups Cheddar Cheese, grated
  • Green leaf lettuce, cut into wide shreds
  • 2 medium tomatoes, diced

Over medium high heat, cook onion til soft and translucent. Add the minced garlic and whirl around the pan til fragrant. Then add the ground beef and cook til no longer pink; breaking up any large bits as you go. Season with kosher salt and stir it in. If you're using a fattier mix of ground beef, drain off any excess fat. Set aside.

In a medium pan, generously coat the bottom of the pan and heat til shimmery. Fry the tortillas, one at a time, on each side for about 30 seconds. You don't want them to be crispy, you just want them to be a little more pliable so they don't break apart. But you really can't skip this step because the tortillas will become soggy when you bake them. Repeat til done. Place on a paper towel lined plate. Set aside.

Heat sauce til warm in a small sauce pan. Heat beans in a pot til warm. You want them warm not hot.

Dip one tortilla in the warmed sauce and place on a sheet pan. Top with a bit of ground beef, then beans, then cheese. Repeat for a 2 stacker. If you're really hungry make 3 layers. Repeat as necessary until you have the amount of enchilada stacks as needed.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven until cheese is melted. Allow the enchiladas to cool for a few minutes before transferring each stack to a plate. Place lettuce and tomatoes around each stack to resemble a wreath. Dig in!

Honey, thanks for helping me in the kitchen. I love you!

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C-O-O-K-I-E-S! (from left to right- back to front)

  • Hay Stacks- crunchy chinese noodles and white chocolate (neigbor made these)
  • Rugelash- cinnamon sugar filling (neighbor made these)
  • Chocolate Coconut Hedgies- chocolate and coconut balls rolled inpowdered sugar
  • Peppermint Bark Cookies- chocolate wafers, white chocolate and crushed peppermints
  • Pecan Pie Bars- Pecan and a buttery filling over shortbread
  • Mocha Crinkles- Chocolate, coffee and cinnamon cookie balls rolled in sugar
  • Sugar Cookies- decorated with royal icing
  • Spritz Sandwiches- Buttery cookies with melted chocolate and M&M's

Oops, I almost for a picture of Mr. H and I in front of my aunts tree!

36 comments:

  1. Love enchiladas. Yours sound great-gotta try em!

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  2. Wow... although the enchiladas look a little too heavy for me, I loved the variety of cookies... I'm a fan of making cookies, so I'd be glad if you keep posting recipes and even more if you could post the ones for the cookies in the picture... luv your blog!!!

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  3. well aren't you lucky! my hubby cannot boil water. no no. before he met me he ate his dinner out of a box every single night. opposites attract eh?

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  4. Wow does that look good. I enjoy your blog so much but my hips do not care for it so much! LOL

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  5. The Enchilada looks great and those cookies look amazing!

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  6. Those look and sound so good. I think I'll try them. Thanks.

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  7. Oh yeah, sign me up for one of those please!

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  8. Sounds like you had a wonderful Christmas! I occasionally get Dude in the kitchen. He has to make the bacon-I burn it every single time, so I normally bake it :) Tell him he looks dashing in his spiffy apron.

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  9. Those look fantastic! And wow you guys look so beautiful! Merry Christmas :)

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  10. Man those enchiladas look go-oo-od. My family's tradition is tamales! Mmm :)

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  11. Those enchiladas look fantastic!! You two make a beautiful couple. I'm glad you all had a great Christmas.

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  12. Monica, you and Mr. H are so adorable! And those enchiladas sound really good and pretty easy to make. I might have to try them.

    Happy Holidays!

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  13. YUM!!! They look mouthwatering!! I adore anything Mex or Tex-Mex, as you (probably?) know...so these will be on my mind until I can try some ;)

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  14. Good job, Mr. H! The enchiladas look so delicious and I really miss eating enchiladas!!!

    A very nice picture of you two :) Happy Holidays!

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  15. Yummy enchiladas! And a nice treat to have a break from cooking :D relaxing is a wonderful tradition!

    Your cookies look delicious too! Looks like a wonderful holiday fun :D

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  16. Sounds like a great time! Those stacked enchiladas look SO good. I'm planning on trying that one at my house. You two make a cute couple.

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  17. Aww, you and Mr. H are such an adorable couple! I love that you have matching aprons.

    I love enchiladas and will definitely be trying this stacked version! :D

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  18. Wow. What a great breakfast. So happy you had a great Christmas!!

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  19. Those Mr. H enchiladas are on my menu now! WOW!

    The photo of the two of you is lovely and your cookies look amazing!

    Happy week to you,

    Janet

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  20. Those look awesome! We are huge Mexican-food fans so this is a must try.

    BTW - can you tell me how you put pictures on the side of your blog with the links? I'd love to be able to do that but can't figure it out!

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  21. Those enchilades looks yummy! My DH would love them. And I love the cookie plate, so festive. Thanks for sharing!!!

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  22. The stacked enchilada photo looks DELICIOUS!!! I love the idea of a nice spicey holiday dinner (instead of the boring ham/turkey).

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  23. Sounds like you had a lovely day. I love how your husband helps you out in the kitchen and your matching aprons - so cute. Not seen enchiladas like those before, look delish. Yummy looking range of cookies too

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  24. awwwww! You two are so cute! What a good hubby for cooking for you. Those stacks look really good.

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  25. awww, you guys are too cute! Nice to have a helper in there, isn't it?
    I wish I could find Ranch Beans up here! I am from Houston and since moving up to NJ there are certain things I can't find, Ranch Style beans, being one of them! I finally just got my supermarket to start carrying Rotel, can you believe that?

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  26. What a great picture :)
    I have been in the mood for Mexican lately and that looks really really good!

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  27. There's nothing like having your husband cook a meal (or in my case "gather" a meal). LOVE anything Mexican--yummo! Happy New Year!

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  28. Nice work from start to finish!

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  29. Monica you won my Fiber One giveaway!!! Please email me at kitchen_concoctions@hotmail.com with your mailing address!

    www.heatherskitchenconcoctions.com

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  30. Merry Christmas!! What a fun tradition! Mr H did an incredible job - those enchilada pictures are making me drool!

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  31. Mr. H.. you did an absolutely marvelous job. They look fantastic..

    Monica.. he's a cutie!

    You both look lovely, lovely, lovely together.

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  32. I'm so far behind in reading blogs! How sweet of Sam to make these for ya! Please tell him that I am so impressed. Lord, these look good!
    Sweet picture of the two of you.
    PS: Love your kitchen, girl!

    So happy you had a wonderful Christmas.

    Love,
    Deb

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  33. What a great post that includes your sweetie! We simply love Mexian/Tex-Mex dishes and to be able to have great recipes for home preparation is even better. By the way....you hubbie is a cutie and needs to know that we appreciate his appearance on your wonderful blog! Roz

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  34. Monica those look pretty good. I've never like enchiladas because the tortillas are always soggy but your way keeps them crispy. Yay!

    Be sure to tell Mr. H good job and that I like his heavy hand with the cheese! :)

    Great photo of you guys! I'm jealous. You're so photogenic. I've yet to see a less than stellar photo of you (& Mr. H).
    ~ingrid

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  35. My grandmother used to make these. We called them "stacked enchiladas". You have a beautiful presentation. I'm going to try your recipe and see how it compares. My chili always turns out differently.

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  36. Okay, I just saw this post, I've been really busy, and I want to make this right now! It's 11:30 at night and I'm not craving enchiladas! This is definately on my 'to make' list for the weekend! Yum! Thanks Monica!!!

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Thank you for your supportive comments. I appreciate each and every one of them!